The Mons Connection

by Janine R Pestel

  Jon turns his attention away from Mikhail and back to the task at hand.

  "Alright. Everyone together. Let's go." He again starts to lead the small troop toward their goal.

  Along the way, they examine many rocks. As they approach the mountain, more and more boulders are exhibiting markings. It is hard to determine if the marks are natural or if they were put there deliberately. Doug photographs every mark on every rock and makes sure he shows as much as possible with his cam.

  "Houston, is Hank there," the archaeologist asks.

  "Yes, I am," comes the reply from Hank a few minutes later.

  "Are you seeing this stuff?"

  "Affirmative. Getting a good visual. The video from yesterday is still in the lab being analyzed. When they decipher it all, I'll tell you. These marks sure are like the ones in that video, though."

  Doug becomes aware of one rock being particularly interesting because it has circular marks. It appears the stone may have been part of a larger boulder and the mark almost resembles the Native American spiral shaped Petroglyph for the galaxy or universe. He is excited while he photographs it.

  "Now this is different," He says to Hank.

  "Very."

  When they reach the area where Jon and Doctor Doolan were the day before, the captain stops.

  "Okay. This is the spot we were at yesterday. I suggest we start looking here. We're only about fifty feet or so away from our goal," He gestures to the cavern. When he looks at the entrance, he gets a surprise. He halts in his tracks and makes a facial gesture of bewilderment.

  "I could have sworn there was a large rock there yesterday," He says.

  "I thought so too," Katherine agrees, "but then... it was getting dark. We could be mistaken." Jon glances at her for a moment, then back at the cave.

  "No. There was one there," he asserts, "but it's gone now."

  In The Mountain

  The four make their way to the cave entrance with Jon leading the way, slow and careful. He is certain a promontory was almost blocking the cavern opening yesterday and is gone now. They weren't awakened during the night by any loud sounds like a boulder that size would make falling down a hill, so, where is this tall stone guardian now?

  They reach the passage and Jon lowers his weapon which he was carrying in a ready to shoot position. The boulder which, the night before, stood right in front of the cavity, now lay on the ground.

  "There it is," he says, relieved, "Seems it fell over while we were asleep." The other three relax.

  Everyone begins to examine the area. Almost every rock and promontory is marked, as is the cliff. Still, it is hard to tell if the marks are natural or not. Even Doug, who is an expert in hieroglyphics, can't tell.

  Doctor Doolan's voice rings out.

  "Digger! Come here! Quick," she shouts excited by what she discovered. The archaeologist rushes over to her, eager with anticipation

  "What? What is it," he asks, almost out of breath. She holds up a small chunk of what appears to be a flat stone.

  "I'm not sure. What is this?" She gives the object to him. He examines the item as best he could.

  "I'm not positive, but what you are holding in your hands may well be a pottery shard," he says to her.

  "Houston. I'm sending you a picture of something Doctor Doolan found. I think it's a chip."

  "Video received," comes the reply a few minutes later.

  "Put this in your bag to bring with us," Doug says as he hands the piece back to the physician, "when we get back to Earth, we can examine this thing better in our lab." Katherine places the small object in her collection sack and returns to searching.

  Digger crosses the cavern entrance and steps inside to go around the boulder lying on the ground. Stepping in, an alarm sounds in his helmet, catching him off guard and startling him.

  "What the hell," he says, He taps his headgear as he exits the cavity, and the annoying sound turns off. "Must be a malfunction," he thinks.

  "Doug. Houston here. What did you do a moment ago? Our readings went crazy."

  "I didn't do anything," Digger answers. "I had to step into a cave because the path is blocked by a boulder and a sensor went off. I think it may be a glitch in the system. I must apologize. I forgot my training and didn't verify which one was going off. Guess I'm too preoccupied with everything here."

  "We copy. We'll run some diagnostics here. We can find out which one activated."

  "Roger," Doug says, half absent minded.

  He goes back to examining the rocks and the cliff walls. After a while, he realizes he is far detached from his fellow explorers and heads back. Turning to return to the group, the large promontory lying in front of the cavern catches his eye. Something is curious about the boulder, but he can't quite put his finger on what is so odd. Approaching, he keeps looking at it trying to figure out why this object seems so familiar. Upon reaching it, he performs a short visual inspection. He rubs his hand on the bottom. "Smooth as glass," he thinks.

  "Doug! Do you know what that is," Hank's voice was filled with excitement. Even though it is lying on the ground, he can still recognize what this large object is.

  "No. I'm not sure. I can tell you the surface almost feels polished."

  "Can you give me a good view of the whole thing, please."

  "Roger."

  "To be this be smooth is not natural," He determines.

  He stands motionless for a few moments, pondering this problem. Then, deciding it was time to re-join the team, he proceeds to walk around the object. As he once again passes into the cave entrance, the alarm in his helmet goes off, startling him once more.

  "What the hell is wrong with this thing," he mumbles. Again he taps his headgear as he exits the cavern and the sound stops.

  "They can send a man to Mars, but they can't make a good indicator system," he jokes to himself. "Damn. Forgot to verify the sensor again."

  He passes through the cave and glances up and down the object laying before him. He moves almost in slow motion so as to give Hank a good view of the discovery.

  "How's the view, buddy?"

  "Good. If you weren't on Mars, I would swear this is an obelisk."

  "We had another malfunction like the one a few minutes ago. What did you do, Doug?" asks Bill, the Mission Controller

  "Nothing, like the last time. I think something is glitched in this sensor system or something. I neglected to verify again. Sorry." He now turns his attention to Hank "An obelisk? You think so?"

  "I do. Move in a little closer. Are those hieroglyphics going down the side," He is excited by the possibility this presents.

  Doug gets as close to the side of the object as he can, while still giving a good visual, and examines the marks his friend is talking about.

  "You're right. I think it does appear to be some form of written communication," He moves to the end which appears to be the top, "and I can't believe I missed this before, but it comes to a pyramid-like point. Exactly what you would find on an obelisk."

  "Beginning to think we're right, Douglas."

  "We'll see, Hank. We'll see," Doug says as he surveys the area, "I can't understand how this thing can be like this without manipulation."

  He re-joins the group and calls out to Jon

  "Ready to head into the mountain?" he asks.

  "Yeah," Jon replies. "Miko, Doctor Doolan," he says to the other two, "We're going in."

  The four walk to the cavern entrance. Doug enters, and he again hears the annoying beeping sound in his helmet.

  "Jesus," he thinks to himself, "Wait... this happened each time I walked into this cave. What alarm is this?" This time he remembers to glance at the controls on his forearm. A light is blinking. "What the crap," he says. "Can't be." the archaeologist says in amazement as he stares at the bright little diode. "Captain! Hold up," he turns and yells to Jon, who is still outside the entrance with the other two.

  "What's the matter," Jon asks, concerned. Doug holds up his arm, so the blinking light bec
omes obvious to the team commander, whose eyes go wide in astonishment. "Breathable," he says, in shock. "Can't be. Must be something wrong with your sensor." Upon entering the cave, his alarm goes off. Doctor Doolan and Mikhail both share the same experience with their equipment.

  "Mons Base. What is going on? You're all showing a nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere. The data we're receiving from your sensors is confirming that."

  "I don't know," Jon says, bewildered, "but, affirmative. We all show that as well."

  The four stand in a group inside the entrance, pondering the situation.

  "Wait a minute," Jon says, stepping out of the cave and back onto the path. The instant he leaves the cavern, the annoying sound in his helmet ceases. He makes eye contact with Doug, takes a step back in and the beeping starts. He repeats this several times. Two steps into the cave... the indicator sounds. A couple of steps outside... the alarm stops. It happens every time. The small group stands there, not quite sure what to make of this phenomenon.

  "Only one way to find out for sure." the captain says as he starts to open his visor. Digger glances at him, worried for his commander.

  "Jon. Wait," Doug says, panicked.

  "Mission control confirmed it. I should be fine," says Jon as he presses a button on the side of his headgear and the glass veil opens. He takes a breath and glances around, trying to tell if it is like Earth's atmosphere or not. After a few moments, he says "Well, I'll be damned. It's breathable. Stinks like hell, but breathable." The other three open their visors.

  The "earthy" and "musty" odor of the alien cave fill their nostrils and attack their senses. They aren't ready for the sensation.

  "We're the first humans to breathe the air of Mars," Jon says, feeling proud of himself and taking a deep breath.

  "If we can breathe it," Doug says, correcting his colleague, "It isn't Martian atmosphere. The human species can't breathe that... or at least... uh... wouldn't last long if we tried."

  "You're right," Jon agrees, "God, this place stinks."

  Doug becomes concerned over something else... it's warm. They're on Mars, and the temperature of the air touching their skin should be almost ice cold here in the cave. Jon realizes the anomaly also and becomes concerned.

  "Alright, people," Jon whispers, "stay alert. The question about life here has been answered. Suffice to say this is not a natural occurrence. Not when there is a distinct barrier where atmosphere is, and is not, breathable." Everyone begins to scrutinize their surroundings. Tension is high. "Keep your head on a swivel, and no one wander off too far," Jon commands. The other three agree.

  "Houston, we have a situation. Be aware we may not be alone here."

  "We're aware."

  "Are we clear to continue?"

  After this question, there is a long pause before the reply comes back.

  "Affirmative, but with extreme caution."

  They begin to make their way deeper into the passage, their weapons at the ready as they go, Doctor Doolan stops and motions for Doug to come over to her.

  "What's the matter," Digger asks.

  "Look," she says, pointing to something on the floor of the cave. Doug picks it up and examines it.

  His eyes grow wide as he realizes what he is looking at is not something of natural formation, but was created. He asks, excitement filling his voice, "Do you know what this is?"

  "No. What is it?"

  "It's a piece of a small statue. Only, not just any statue," he pauses, nervous because of the importance of the discovery. "This is Horus the God of Kings." Hearing this, Mikhail glances around, feeling anxious. He can feel some tension welling up inside himself, but resists the urge to expose his real being before the time is right.

  "God of Kings," Jon interrupts, "What the hell would he be doing here?"

  "I don't know," Doug says, "but I have a feeling if we keep going deeper into this cave, we may find the answer to the question. It actually makes sense, given the hieroglyphic we found at the dig in Egypt."

  Doug positions the piece so he can get a clear shot of it with his helmet cam. He holds it as steady as he could for a few minutes and slowly rotates it to make sure they get a good visual back on Earth.

  "Nice," says Hank, "Very nice, indeed."

  "Of course you recognize what it is Hank," says the archaeologist, "This is part of the proof we were looking for. Doctor Doolan found it."

  "Good work, Doctor," Doug's counterpart at mission control says.

  "Thank you, Mr...," she glances at Doug as though asking the name of the man she is in communication with.

  "You're speaking with Hank. My friend and an associate with the ATP. He's one of the people who discovered the pottery shard and sent us here," Doug says.

  "Thank you, Hank," She says.

  "I dunno," Jon says, thinking out loud, "we know the probability of life in here is high, and there is no light the further we go. Turning on our helmet lights, we risk not only letting someone, or something, know we're coming, but we have no way of knowing if they're hostile or not." He studies Doug, "I think we need to think this through first, Digger."

  "We have weapons, Captain," Mikhail speaks up, "how do we know they're not already watching us?" Jon ponders this for a moment.

  "We don't," he admits, "but, we also don't want to start an interplanetary war."

  "Is too late." the Russian says, almost mumbling.

  "What?"

  "I said I agree, Captain," Miko says.

  Jon glares at him with a facial gesture.

  "If there is still life here," Doug interjects, "and they made this statue and the breathable air and the barrier to keep the Earth-like atmosphere in here, they must be not only intelligent but quite advanced. Most advanced civilizations don't tend to be warlike."

  "So you think they're friendly... assuming they're still here," Jon asks, a pinch of sarcasm in his voice.

  "No. I'm not saying that at all, but I would say the probability is good that they aren't looking to start a fight," Doug answers. "I mean, let's face it," he gestures toward the cave entrance. "When we arrived, the ship wasn't exactly quiet. If they are here, they already know we're here, too. They had plenty of opportunities to attack if they were going to, and they didn't," he peers deeper inside the cavern, "I say we move on and if we encounter them, we cross that bridge when we get to it."

  Jon thinks about this for a moment and regards the other two.

  "You agree," he asks. Doctor Doolan nods.

  "I think we should go now," Mikhail speaks up. Jon glanced at Doug then turns to leer at the navigator.

  "What," he asks, irritated.

  "We already have proof. We had proof as soon as we came into cave. Now, we have more proof with piece of statue. We have accomplished mission. We must leave before bad things happen."

  "What bad things," Jon asks.

  "I don't know what bad things. Just bad things. We are aliens here, not them."

  "He's got a point, Captain," Doctor Doolan agrees with Mikhail.

  "No, he doesn't," Doug interjects, "we need to complete the exploration of this cave as per our mission."

  "Bill. What say you," Jon says, asking for Mission Control to intervene.

  "We advise you to proceed with extreme caution."

  "Are we clear to engage?"

  "Affirmative, in self-defense only," comes the reply after a long pause.

  "Captain, please," Mikhail pleads.

  "You heard the man. On we go with extreme caution. Everybody lock and load. Keep your head on a swivel," Jon commands.

  They once again move forward. Mikhail thinks, "I have tried to warn you. I have tried to help you. You will regret this decision you make. We are peaceful people, but you leave us no choice."

  "Well. Makes sense to me," Doctor Doolan says to Jon. Doug inspects the piece of the statue he is still holding.

  "Why would Horus be here," he thinks to himself as he puts the article into his collection bag.

  The four walk to where the lig
ht is too dim to see. All the while, they keep one hand on their weapons in case they need it fast.

  Jon says almost whispering, "We need helmet lights from here on." They all turn on their lights. The cave is illuminated as the explorers' bright beams pierce the darkness. They survey the area, each one's light illuminating a different part of the cavern, making it almost appear as a light show.

  The beam from Digger finds a wall, and some marks come to his attention. As he studies them, it becomes obvious to him what they are.

  "Oh, my God," Doug exclaims. "Hey, guys! Come here! You need to see this!" The other three come rushing over. He steps back so he can illuminate as much of the surface as possible. As more markings become illuminated, everyone understands what is on the wall.

  "God Damned," says Jon. "They're hieroglyphics."

  "Hank, I think it's safe to say we were right," Doug says.

  "That's an affirmative, my friend."

  "One more thing," Doug says as he moves his head to the left just a few feet, illuminating a small structure.

  "An entrance way," Jon says, puzzled.

  "It appears so," Doug agrees.

  Jon walks over to the opening and peers into the darkness. His helmet light pierces the inky blackness to reveal what appears to be a long, long corridor. So long, it seems never to end. He lowers his visor in preparation to cross into this space.

  "Can't be too careful," He explains. "Well, here goes nothing."

  He first braces himself against the two sides of the entrance way, as a person would do when getting ready to jump out of an airplane. He glances down to make sure there is no drop-off in front of him. With much caution, he steps into the passageway. He reviews the data from his sensor. Breathable air. He raises his visor and turns to his crew who are watching with great apprehension.

  "Clear," Jon states. The other three follow him.

  Doug starts to study the walls as soon as he enters the room. They are filled with hieroglyphics. As they make their way down the long, narrow hall, they begin to encounter statues. Small ones at first, but as they travel deeper and deeper through the corridor, the gold icons become larger and larger until they are as tall as the room itself... which was quite high.